OT: Black Racer came back!!!

[tippMANn98]

Sitting on the front porch yesterday afternoon, Here comes the racer back across the sidewalk. He was hunting, it was cool to just watch nature like that. Rooting around in the leaves, in and out of the bushes. He sees a lizard run, and boom, fast as lightning to catch it. Very very neat! If you guys know me, its all about Nature and Photography! I need to get out and really show you guys what I got.

Peeking over the sidewalk:


Full body shot, he is almost 3 ft, maybe a little bigger:


Rooting around in the leaves:

[Gina]

Black racers are good to have around. Keep the mouse population down.
We had one in our barn a couple weeks ago. He was eating the baby birds that were in there. Since I like birds, Mark took him across the corn field and back into the woods. Seems to me he'd be happier there anyway.
Now, we'll probably have a mouse infestation in the barn! LOL!!
Nice shots!!

[tippMANn98]

Yea, we have a ton of these, and the elusive Blue Indigo snakes. They are gorgeous if you have ever seen one in person.

[BoomerD]

We had those in the field behind the house where I grew up in Springfield, Mass. IIRC, they're also called blue racers because sometimes the light hits their black skin and looks blue. Fast SOB's, and quick to bite a nosy 8 year old kid... but, they're one of the truly beneficial snakes, and we never killed them. We also had copperheads...those we killed when we found them. (stupid 8 year old kids...copperheads can be aggressive when threatened.)

[tippMANn98]

Yes, all snakes have that irridescent bluish color, more pronounced after shedding. not very noticable on most because of the brown color. But thats exactly why they call blue indigos BLUE.

fast yes, my wife was like WOW, i said thats why they call them RACERS.

[AQTCJAK]

Very cool snake

[Woodstock]

Cool pictures!
Are those the ones that will chase you if you anger them?
Maybe that is just an old wive's tale...

[tippMANn98]

Doni, Probably a wives tail, most snakes will try to run..Only exceptions I think are Mambas and Cobras

[blue_eyes53813]

oh wow.. snakes freak me out... I don't know what it is but If I seen one I would be running the opposite direction just as fast... lol

They must not be venomous ha?

[Frankie]

Cool Daniel! We had a whole nest of garden snakes in the garden this spring. they all moved on already but it was fun to watch them come and go.

[tippMANn98]

Nope not venomous....and A good way to tell is their head shape. Usually a more diamond squared off head is a venomous snake, and a more rounded head is nonvenomous, THIS DOES NOT APPLY to our Coral snakes down here, which are HIGHLY venomous.